Overview
Francis Crick and James Watson's discovery of DNA - the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. Their work made possible amazing innovations in cloning, life expectancy, forensics, even the production of foods we eat every day. The discovery of DNA has also raised important ethical questions that the scientific community will struggle to answer well into the next century. But what is DNA, and how did Crick and Watson, the Laurel and Hardy of Cambridge, discover it?. "Crick, Watson and DNA presents a snapshot of these scientists' lives and work, and demonstrates the meaning and importance of the discovery of DNA and its implications for the twentieth century and beyond.Synopsis
Francis Crick and James Watson's discovery of DNA - the very building blocks of life - has astounding implications for mankind's future. Their work made possible amazing innovations in cloning, life expectancy, forensics, even the production of foods we eat every day. The discovery of DNA has also raised important ethical questions that the scientific community will struggle to answer well into the next century. But what is DNA, and how did Crick and Watson, the Laurel and Hardy of Cambridge, discover it?. "Crick, Watson and DNA presents a snapshot of these scientists' lives and work, and demonstrates the meaning and importance of the discovery of DNA and its implications for the twentieth century and beyond.
The New York Times
The life of Watson, like that of Darwin, makes for absorbing reading, but ultimately their scientific legacies far outweigh their biographies. DNA: The Secret of Life lays out the double-helical legacy of Watson and Crick in comprehensive, engaging and accessible detail. We are lucky that a major architect of a revolution in biology should also be blessed with -- or perhaps born with -- the ability to bring that revolution to life in such an arresting way. — Jerry A. Coyne